Child Poverty in the Arab States

© UNICEF/2017/MENA/RICH

Arthur van Diesen

Regional Social Policy Adviser, UNICEF MENARO

Why focus on child poverty?

• A young region

• Different aspects of poverty matter for children and adults

• Poverty in childhood can have a life-long impact

• Household level indicators may mask differences within households

Methodology – Dimensions and Indicators used

Multidimensional child poverty - a reality in the Arab States

• Close to half of children (44.1%, 52.5 million) in countries studied experience multidimensional poverty

• Out of them, 29.3 million (24.7% of the child population) suffer acute poverty

Marked inequality between countries

• Children are sixty times more likely to be acutely poor in Sudan than in Jordan

• Acute poverty is largely concentrated in cluster 3 countries (74.1% of all acutely poor children), but moderate poverty is more widespread (53.5% in cluster 3 countries)

Depth of child poverty

• In cluster 1 countries, where the child poverty headcount is low, still more than half of the children experience one moderate deprivation and a third face one acute deprivation

• In cluster 3 countries, the headcount is high and a significant proportion experience 3, 4 or more deprivations simultaneously. About 40% experience 4+ deprivations.

The profile of poverty in each country is unique and needs a tailored response

Drivers of inequality in child poverty – household wealth, location and education of the household head

• Children in households in the lowest wealth quintile are 12 times as likely to be acutely multidimensionally poor than those in households in the wealthiest quintile

• Children in rural households are 3.5 times more likely to be acutely poor than children in urban households

• Children in households where the head has no or incomplete primary education are 2.3 times more likely to be acutely poor

Trends are positive, but not universally so

• Limited countries with comparable data sets

• Significant reductions in child poverty between ca 2000 and ca 2015, with the exception of Sudan

• Differential progress in acute and overall poverty per country

(note, Yemen data from pre-2015)

Recommendations

• A tailored policy response to child poverty is required for each country

• The inter-generational transmission of poverty needs to be broken and the best way to do this is to address child poverty

• Governments must invest in childhood to secure future peace and prosperity

• Social protection is key to ensure children have access to the full range of services they need to realise their potential, irrespective of their family’s poverty and social status

• Education stands out as a priority area of investment, as it is central to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Access and quality both need attention

• The region suffers a double burden of malnutrition, which needs urgent action

• Evidence gaps in child poverty need addressing, particulary for conflict-affected countries, children on the move, and high-income countries

© UNICEF/2017/MENA/RICH